Vegetarian Recipes

Curry Chickpea Salad

Y’all know I love chickpeas. They’re easy to prepare, versatile, cheap, and full of fiber and other goodies! Chickpea salads have become one of my favorite easy preparations for chickpeas, especially now that it’s mid-summer and a million degrees out. Today I made a light and tangy Curry Chickpea Salad, that you can eat as a wrap, stuffed into a pita, or piled on top of a fresh green salad. It only takes a few minutes to prepare and makes a super tasty lunch!

Curry Chickpea Salad stuffed into a pita on a plate with grape tomatoes

What Kind of Curry Powder Should I Use?

There are so many different types of curry powder out there and they all have a unique flavor. I haven’t yet met a curry powder that I don’t like, so I can’t suggest one over another, but I’ve tried a few different brands such as Sharwoods, 365, Spice Islands, and Simply Organic. If you want to try making your own curry powder at home, here is a great recipe for curry powder from Hari Ghotra, along with a ton of great info about curry powder, its origins, and ways it can be used.

How to Serve Curry Chickpea Salad

As I mentioned in the intro, there are a few different ways to eat this Curry Chickpea Salad. I stuffed it into a pita with some lettuce for the photos here, but I’ve also wrapped it up in a tortilla to make a wrap sandwich. You can also scoop it on top of a green salad, or smash up the chickpeas and dip into it with crackers or vegetables.

I didn’t smash the chickpeas this time, but I often do to create a different texture in the salad. It really just depends on what texture you prefer or how you plan to serve it.

What Else Can I Add?

Chickpea salads are fun because you can add all sorts of other ingredients to make it fancy, if you have them. I think a grated carrot or diced red bell pepper would add a nice texture and the sweetness would work well with the curry flavor. Finely diced celery would also add a nice crunch, as would some slivered almonds. A few raisins would add a fun pop of sweetness. And lastly, if you can’t do red onion, sliced green onion would be a nice mild option to use in their place.

Curry Chickpea Salad

This Curry Chickpea Salad is a fast and easy no-cook lunch that’s perfect for summer. Light, fresh, filling, tangy, and flavorful!

Total Cost $1.39 recipe / $0.70 serving

Prep Time 10 minutes

Total Time 10 minutes

Servings 1 cup each

Calories 249kcal

Author Beth – Budget Bytes

Ingredients

1/3 cup plain yogurt* $0.35
1/2 tsp Dijon mustard $0.03
1 tsp honey $0.06
1.5 tsp curry powder $0.15
1/8 tsp salt $0.01
1 15oz. can chickpeas $0.55
1/4 cup chopped cilantro $0.17
1/4 cup finely chopped red onion $0.07

Instructions

Prepare the dressing first. Stir together the yogurt, Dijon, honey, curry powder, and salt. Set the dressing aside.
Rinse and drain the canned chickpeas. Chop the cilantro and finely chop the red onion. If you’d like to soften the flavor of the red onion, first slice it and then let the slices soak in cold water for about five minutes. Drain the onion, then finely chop.
Combine the chickpeas, chopped cilantro, chopped red onion, and the prepared dressing in a bowl. Stir to combine. If you prefer, you can slightly mash the chickpeas to create a different texture. Taste and adjust the salt or other ingredients to your liking. Serve cold.

Notes

*You can use either regular-style yogurt or Greek yogurt, keeping in mind that Greek yogurt will create a very thick dressing.

Nutrition

Love chickpea salads? Try my Scallion Herb Chickpea Salad, Pesto Chickpea Salad, or Sriracha Chickpea Salad Wraps.

How to Make Curry Chickpea Salad – Step by Step Photos

Yogurt curry sauce being stirred together

First, make the yogurt curry dressing. Stir together ⅓ cup plain yogurt, ½ tsp Dijon mustard, 1 tsp honey, 1.5 tsp curry powder, and ⅛ tsp salt. You can use regular-style or Greek-style yogurt, keeping in mind that Greek yogurt will make a very thick dressing.

Chickpeas, onions, and cilantro in a bowl

Rinse and drain one 15oz. can of chickpeas. Finely dice ¼ cup red onion and chop about ¼ cup cilantro. If you want the onions to have a softer flavor, you can slice them first and soak in cold water for about 5 minutes before finely chopping.

curry dressing being poured over salad ingredients in the bowl

Pour the prepared dressing over the ingredients in the bowl.

Stir until everything is combined, give it a taste, and then adjust the salt or other ingredients to your liking. At this point, you can either leave the chickpeas whole or smash them up a bit. It’s up to you!

Today I left my chickpeas whole, but if I were going to serve them with crackers for scooping I’d probably mash them up a bit so the chickpeas don’t roll off the crackers. 🙂 Enjoy your quick, cold, no-cook lunch!

The post Curry Chickpea Salad appeared first on Budget Bytes.

Vegetarian Recipes

CAULIFLOWER BOLOGNESE

“I want you to come watch the movie with us ON the couch, not be in the kitchen!”

I’ve been filling out this one-question-a-day journals for moms that I received for Christmas. It records a little thought or memory over the last year, and then starts again, so you can see how your answers change over a few years. One of the recent ones, prompted me to jot notes about what I am learning as a mom, and I found the question so general I was basically annoyed. I am a romantic, and also wildly pragmatic. In the span of a day I can tear up over the depths of love I feel for my kids, and also wish for them to have a mute button. We all have worlds within us; mothering pushing me into the corners of myself I am sometimes proud of or other corners ashamed of, but am I learning? Yes, every single day. Sometimes in the moment and other times after a particular season. But in 2021, my answer in the bullet journal was that I see my kids are wanting me to play with them. They aren’t registering all the service and shuttling and laundry and what it takes to pull off a week, they just want to play WITH me. It’s natural for me to move within lists and tasks and responsibilities and hustling, but playing is something I have to pay attention to. For them and for me. We usually do a family movie on Friday nights and my son (6.5), see quote above, pointed out that I don’t actually watch the movie, I tinker in the kitchen and he wants me in the couch cuddle. Flattered, and found out that I’d rather make granola than watch The Croods 🙂 So from annoyed, to passing on the question to fellow parents, what are you learning? Try not to be annoyed. Maybe circle back to it.

I published this recipe over on SKCC a few weeks ago and wanted it to live here. We’re trying to find more family-friendly vegetarian recipes (it’s easy for me to fill up on roasted veggies and big salads, not so much for the kids). This batch lasts us two meals – once with noodles, maybe half zoodles, and the second round on toast or english muffins with cheese melted on top, like a pizza sort of thing? It freezes well and is great to deliver to new parents.

CAULIFLOWER BOLOGNESE

Serves 6

Ingredients

2 Tbsp. of extra virgin olive oil
1 small yellow onion – roughly chopped
3 cloves of garlic
sea salt to taste
pepper to taste
1 head of cauliflower (about ¾ lb. or 12 oz. riced)
1/2 cup of raw walnuts pieces
1/2 tsp. of Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp. of fennel seeds – crushed
2 Tbsp. of tomato paste
2 Tbsp. of balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup of red wine (or broth of any sort, and double the vinegar to mimic the wine’s acidity)
28 oz. of canned, crushed tomatoes
1/2 cup of red lentils
red pepper flake to taste

For serving

12 oz. of pasta or choice, zoodles, etc.
parmesan
fresh, torn basil

Directions

In a large Dutch-oven or stockpot, heat the olive oil over medium low heat.

In a food processor, pulse the onion and garlic into smaller bits. Add them to the pot with a big pinch of salt and pepper. Sauté to soften, about 3 minutes.

Pulse up the cauliflower florets to get a rice-like texture. Add the riced-cauliflower to the pot and sauté to soften, about 5 minutes.

Pulse the walnuts in the processor and add those to the pot along with the Italian seasoning, fennel seed, another few generous pinches of salt and pepper, tomato paste and balsamic vinegar. Sauté until fragrant.

Add the red wine, cook about 3 minutes, then add the crushed tomatoes, ½ cup water, lentils, pinch of pepper flakes and stir to combine. Turn the heat to low, put the cover ajar and let it simmer gently for 30-35 minutes. Turn off the heat, taste for seasoning and adjust.

Cook your pasta or zoodles according to instructions. Top with cauli Bolognese, grated cheese, fresh basil and enjoy!

The Bolognese will keep in the fridge for a week and can be frozen for a few months.